Cotton picking spindle



Oct. 11, 1955 R. L. LA RUE 2,720,072

COTTON PICKING SPINDLE Filed July 28, 1952 I 13 11 12 1211 Zfg zen/n2 Ina/901v INVENTOR.

United States PatentO This invention relates to a cotton picking spindle or moreparticularly to a spindle adapted for use in a conventional cotton picking machine.

. in the past, mechanical cotton picking machines have utilized spindles, with rollers, in which the ends of the spindles were structurally fluted and in operation were wetted to enable or assist the rotating spindles in picking cotton, after which the cotton is stripped from the respective spindles.

The present invention relates to an improved construction in which it is not necessary to wet the spindles and in which the spindles are provided with more efficiency, usually more flexible, superior spindles or spindle tips. A particularly desirable feature of the present invention is that the spindle shaft is provided with burrs or needles or other sharp projections which may be arranged for easy and rapid stripping of a wad of cotton which has been picked after the spindle has been caused to rotate as is well known in cotton picking machine practice. Means are provided whereby the burrs may be retracted during the stripping operation and automatically, or otherwise in controlled manner, returned to the desired operating position or length, as more particularly described in detail below.

Certain present preferred embodiments of my invention are shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a cotton picking spindle;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the spindle shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a pair of burrs formed of thin wire or other spring steel material, with interconnecting V-shaped structure for mounting as shown in Figs. 4 and 5;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary central longitudinal cross sectional view of an enlarged operating section at the tip of the cotton picking spindle shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is an end view taken at the free end of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a core of a modified embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a central longitudinal cross sectional view of a modified shaft or shell arranged to cooperate with the core of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a view of the core in Fig. 6 and the shell in Fig. 7 when assembled.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, and especially Figs. 1 and 2, the operating end of a spindle, or spindle fitting is clearly shown. Inside of a hollow shaft 11 which is provided with longitudinal slots 12 is a series of pairs of burrs 13 extending through said slots. The burrs may conventionally comprise the trips, as shown in Fig. 3 of a burr spring assembly 14 shaped generally like a V and connecting opposed pairs of burrs. Spring wire steel is suitable for this purpose and has been eminently satisfactory for engaging cotton fibers during the picking operation when the spindle is rotated. If desired, the shaft 11 may be fluted, and the slots 12 may lie in the valleys of the flutes.

1*. The assembly of the burred spindle may be clearly ICE seen from Figs. 4 and 5, wherein an H-shaped core 21 has vertical side walls 22 and 23 separated by a central bar 24 and forming cavities 26 into which the shank portions of the burr spring assembly 14 are forced and held in spring tension. Periodic socket holes 27 are provided in the central bar 24 for seating the apices of the spring burrs 14. End lugs 28 and 29 oppose each other at the free end of the spindle and hold the H-shaped core assembly 21 in position. These lugs may, as shown in Fig. 4, be struck over at the open end of the spindle. For assembly and disassembly purposes, it is convenient for the distance between opposing faces of the lugs 28 and 29 to be greater than the lateral thickness of the core 21, so that the flat central core 21 with burr assembly 14 in place may be slipped into the end of shaft 11 between lugs 28 and 29 and then twisted until burrs 13 spring out into slots 12 and the end of the core engages the lugs 28 and 29.

The spindle described above is easily assembled by the following steps. The core 21 has holes which serve as sockets 27 and in which are mounted an appropriate number of spring burr assemblies 14 having terminal burrs 13 angularly arranged thereon. Burr assemblies 14 are proportioned so as to register with the apertures 12 in the shaft after assembly. After the requisite number of wires 14 have been placed in their sockets, the core 21 is inserted into the open end of the hollow shaft 11 at right angles to the position shown in Fig. 5, far enough for the burrs 13 to lie between the respective pairs of apertures 12 in the shaft. The core assembly is then twisted at whereupon the burrs spring into extending position through the apertures in the shaft. The assembly is then ready for, operation. As is obvious from the drawing, the burrs easily catch cotton or fibrous strands when in rotated operation and they generally point angularly with respect to the axis of the shaft, but in the direction of the free end of the shaft or spindle. When it-is desired to strip the fibers from the spindle all that is necessary is that the fibers be pulled toward the free end of the spindle in a mass whereupon the burrs 13 travel toward the center of the core and fall into the recesses provided between the walls 22 and 23 of the core. Spring tension returns them to operative position. When it is desired or required to replace or repair the assembly, the core may simply be pushed through the other end of the shaft, in which direction it easily travels because the tips of the burrs will simply be retracted into the shaft shell and will travel to the right as shown in Fig. 4 without becoming snarled or permanently entrained in the shaft apertures. Replacement of one or more parts may be easily effected, when the spindle is thus disassembled.

An alternative embodiment of my invention is shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, wherein the core 31,. preferably of circular cross section is provided with a forward tapered portion 32 in which are mounted, or to which are applied a plurality of burrs 33. As may be seen in Fig. 6, the burrs are arranged parallel to the axis of the core shaft 31, but they are forwardly angularly positioned with respect to the surface of the tapered forward end 32 of the shaft. As shown in Fig. 7 there is provided a shell 34 having a cylindrical section 35 to accommodate the cylindrical section of the core 31. The shell 34 also has a forward operating end 36 which is generally conically shaped to accommodate the forward end 32 of core 31. Apertures 37 are provided parallel to the axis of the shell 35 in the operating end 36, to accommodate and register with the burrs 33. The burrs 33 are sufliciently long to extend beyond the external surface of the operating portion 36. In order to provide for adjustment of the extension of those burrs 33, opposed holes 38 and 39 which accommodate bolts 40 and 41,

3 respectively, 'are'provided to permit longitudinal movement of the core with respect to the shell. The extending length of the burrs 33 may be fixed by tightening the bolts 41, or the bolts may be used in connection with' a spring governor arrangement 43 as shown in Fig.8 for compensating the degree of extension of the burrs in accordance with the speed of rotation of the spindle as represented by the speed of the roller 44.

As 'will be understood various modifications may be made without departing'from the scope of the invention. For example, the slots or openings 37 or 12 may lie in longitudinal extending fluti'ngs or depressed surfaces on the 'outersurface of the spindle. It is highly desirable that the'bu'rr's themselves be retractable, and they are preferably-spring actuated. When the spindle is not rotating the burrs may be retracted and the'stripping ma be done easily without interference from the burrs. It is'to be understood, -of-course, that the scope of the protection is to be limited only as expressed in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A cotton picking spindle comprising -a' hollow shaft having a plurality of openings in the surface thereof, aba'r within said shaft said bar having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, V-shaped spring wire burr assemblies having their apic'es extending through said'bar-openings, the burr terminals of said burr assemblies being aligned longitudinally with said shaft openings "and extendingthrough said shaft openings beyond the surface of said shaftwhen in picking operation posit'io'n.

2. A cotton picking spindle comprisinga hollow shaft having a plurality of opposed openings in the surface thereof, a bar within said shaft and slidable longitudinally thereof, said bar having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, V-shaped'spring wire burr assemblies having their apices extending through said bar open- 4 ings, the burr terminals of said burr assemblies being aligned longitudinally with said shaft openings and extending through said shaft openings beyond the surface of said shaft when in picking operating position.

3. A cotton picking spindle comprising a hollow shaft having a plurality of openings in the surface thereof, a bar within said shaft said bar having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, V-shaped spring wire burrs having their apices extending through said bar openings, the burr terminals of said burr assemblies being aligned longitudinally with said shaft'openings and extending through said shaft openings beyond the surface ofsaidshaft when in'picking operation 'position, said burr terminals being retractable into said shaft.

4. A cotton picking spindle comprising a hollow shaft having a plurality of openings in the surface thereof, a bar within said shaft said bar having openings extending therethrough, V-shaped spring wire burr assemblies having their apices extending through 'said baropenings, the burr terminals of said burr assemblies-beingaligned longitudinally with said shaft openings andextending through said shaft openings beyond the "surface' of said shaft when in picking operating-position, the terminals of each burr assembly normally beingheld in 'spring tension and extending from said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 400,700 Manning Apr. 2, 1889 457,743 Lispenard Aug. 11, 1891 0 770,653 Price Sept. 20, 1904 1,262,031 Fisher Apr. 9, 1 918 1,525,670 So Relle Feb. 10, 1 925 1,780,497 Miller et a1. Nov. 4, 1930 1,851,883 Wooten Mar. 29, 1932 2,574,822 Foster Nov. 13, '1951 

